"Jim Henson's Labyrinth: Journey to Goblin City" at The Center for Puppetry Arts

On Thursday, September 1st, the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, GA hosted a Labyrinth Masquerade Ball to celebrate the opening of the new "Jim Henson's Labyrinth: Journey to Goblin City" exhibition. The ball featured a costume contest judged by Brian Henson, son of Jim and Jane Henson and lead puppeteer on Labyrinth.

Click here for the Atlanta Journal Constitution's video on the event and exhibit.

On display in addition to the Center for Puppetry Arts's already extensive Jim Henson Collection and Global Collection, "Jim Henson's Labyrinth: Journey to Goblin City" is an exhibit of puppets, props and costumes from the film inside an immersive environment. It will remain on display at the Center through September 3, 2017.

The Jim Henson Collection Opens at the Center for Puppetry Arts

On Saturday, November 14th, the Center Puppetry Arts in Atlanta unveiled the "Worlds of Puppetry" museum which will feature a permanent exhibition space dedicated to "The Jim Henson Collection." Consisting of objects from a collection donated to the Center as announced by the Henson Family in 2007, the initial exhibit features more than 70 objects, and items from among the hundreds of other objects in the Center's collection will rotate in and out after this first year.

The Center's conservators have done painstaking, beautiful work to make sure the objects on display can be enjoyed by audiences for years to come.

The Henson Family Makes Fine Art Prints of Original Jim Henson Artwork Available

This fall is scheduled to see the opening of two permanent exhibitions of Jim Henson's work, one at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, GA and the other in the Museum of the Moving Image in New York City. To mark the occasion, the Henson family has commissioned master printer Andrew Mockler to create original lithographs of three silkscreen prints originally designed by Jim Henson himself. These pieces are available only to donors to either museum at the $10,000 level.

Fran Brill: A Job Well Done

At the end of September, The Jim Henson Legacy, with our friends at Sesame Workshop and The Jim Henson Company, gathered to wish a happy retirement to the inimitable Fran Brill.

Fran was the first female hired by Jim Henson as a puppeteer on Sesame Street. During her long career with the show, this Emmy Award winning performer portrayed Prairie Dawn, Zoe, Little Bird, Polly Darton, Scottish Mary of "Mary Had a Little Lamb," Bo Peep, Roxy Marie, and too many others to name. In the U.S. she performed Kami, a character from the South African co-production Takalani Sesame.

Other work with the Muppets included Saturday Night Live, The Muppet Show, The Jim Henson Hour, Dog City, The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland, Cinderelmo, Elmopalooza with Jon Stewart, home videos including Zoe's Dance Moves with Paula Abdul and numerous CDs and audiotapes. Fran also worked as a puppeteer on the films Men in Black and The Producers.

Along with all of this work, Fran had a film, television and theatrical career, appearing in What About Bob?, Being There, All My Children, multiple Law and Order episodes, Look Back in Anger, Love Letters, and much more. Makes one tired just thinking about it, doesn't it?

So, her friends, family and colleagues wish Fran a quiet retirement...with all the tennis it takes to help her enjoy life!